How do I run a discovery call?

Most salespeople run discovery calls backwards — they pitch, then try to discover needs in the Q&A. This is exactly wrong.

Discovery call structure (30–45 minutes):

Minutes 1–3: Set the agenda. "I'd love to learn about where you're at with [problem area], understand if there's a fit, and if there is, we can talk about what that might look like. Does that work for you?"

Minutes 3–15: Current state. Understand the problem in depth before you say anything about your product. - "Walk me through how you're currently handling [problem area]." - "What's working about your current approach? What's not?" - "How long have you been dealing with this?" - "What have you tried to fix it?"

Minutes 15–22: Implications. Quantify the pain. - "What does this cost you? Time, revenue, team capacity?" - "What happens if this doesn't get solved in the next 6 months?" - "How does this affect [other area of the business]?"

Minutes 22–30: Decision process and timeline. - "If you found the right solution, what would the evaluation and buying process look like?" - "Who else would be involved in this decision?" - "When are you looking to make a change?"

Minutes 30–40: Position your solution. Only now, with full context, do you talk about your product. Connect every point directly to what they told you: "You mentioned [specific problem] — this is exactly where [product] helps. [Company] had the same issue and solved it by..."

Minutes 40–45: Next steps. Never leave a discovery call without a clear next step. "Based on what we talked about, it sounds like [next step] makes sense — can we get that on the calendar before we hang up?"

What to listen for: Budget signals ("we just got funding for this"), urgency signals ("we need this by Q1"), champion signals ("I'm going to bring my VP into our next conversation"), and risk signals ("we tried something similar before and it didn't work").